Eeek Let Out A Shriek!!
A Beginning Reading Lesson
By: Nikki Tucker
Rationale:
This lesson teaches children about the long vowel
correspondence ee= /E/. In order to
be able to read, children must learn to recognize the spellings map word
pronunciations. In this lesson children will learn to recognize, spell, and read
words containing the spelling ee.
They will learn a meaningful representation (Sponge Bob shrieking), they will
spell and read words containing this spelling in a Letterbox lesson, and read a
decodable book that focuses on the correspondence
ee=/E/.
Materials:
Image of Sponge Bob shrieking; cover-up critter; whiteboard
or smartboard Elkonin boxes for modeling and individual Elkonin boxes for each
student; letter manipulatives for each child and magnetic letters for teacher:
t, e, f, s, m, c, h, k, a, g, r; list of spelling words on whiteboard to read:
tee, let, feet, seem, meet, den, cheek, free; decodable text:
The Mean Geese
and assessment worksheet (see URL).
Procedures:
1. Say: In order to become expert readers we need to learn
the code that tells us how to pronounce words. We have already learned to read
short vowel words with e, like
set, and today we are going to learn
about long E and the second e that
follows the first e to make the /E/
sound. When I say /E/ I think of Sponge Bob shrieking and saying "Eeeek"
[showing graphic image]. Let’s look at the spelling of /E/ that we’ll learn
today. One way to spell /E/ is with the letter
e and another
e following right after it. [Write
ee on the board]. The two
e’s together make a long E sound that
you draw out.
2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /E/, we need
to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /E/ in words, I hear
e say its name /E/, and my cheeks
lift up like I’m smiling with my teeth slightly apart. [Make vocal gestures for
/E/]. I’ll show you first: sheet. I
heard e says its name and I felt my
face smile in an e [have kids put
fingers where dimples would be to emphasize smile gesture]. There is a long E in
sheet. Now I’m going to see if it’s
in get. I didn’t hear
e say its name and my mouth and
cheeks didn’t smile to make e. Now
you try. If you hear /E/ say, "Eeek I’m about to shriek." If you don’t hear /E/
say, "I don’t hear it, that’s not right." Is it in: shorts, boots, greet, dirt,
teeth? [Have children put fingers where dimples would be if they were smiling to
feel for the /E/ sound].
3. Now we are going to try to spell the word
free. "The prisoner was set free from
jail." In this sentence, free means
to get out and live a full life. To put
agree in letterboxes we first need to count the phonemes in the word. Let’s
stretch it out: /f/ /r/ /E/. We need four letterboxes right?
The double
e’s go in the same letterbox to make the /E/ sound. It starts with a /f/
sound so I need a f. Then there is an
/r/ sound that comes right before the /E/ sound..you have to grrrowl to hear it.
It sounds like an r. Now for our
final letters that make the /E/ sound, the double
e’s. Say "Eeeek."
4. Say: We are going to spell more words in the letterboxes
starting with the two phoneme words. First we have
tee.
Tee is something that is used in golf
to balance the golf ball on. "My dad hit his golf ball of the tee into the
water." What should go in the first box? [Respond to students answers
accordingly]. What letters go in the second box? Remember that our long /E/
sound has two e’s. Don’t forget the
second e. [Walk around to observe
individual progress the students are making]. Once everyone seems to have gotten
the first word move onto the three phoneme words. Say: Let’s try a word that is
a little bit harder that we use three letterboxes for. Listen for /E/ and
remember the double e’s go in the
same box. The word is feet, My feet
are sore after hiking 10 miles today;
feet. [Children spell remaining words:
seem, meet, cheek, free]
5. Say: Now we are going to read the words you’ve spelled
all together. The first one we will do together,
seem. The first sound is /s/, like
ssssnakes. Then we are going to "eeek" like SpongeBob with the /E/ sound in the
middle and end it with the /m/ sound that we hear in mmmom. So all the together
the word is /s/ /E/ /m/, seem. Now
let’s do the same with our remaining words
meet,
cheek, and
free. [Students read in unison and
then call on individuals to read certain words to give everyone a turn]
6. Say: So far you have done really well and I’m pleased
with how you have learned to spell /E/: ee. I have a book here called
The Mean Geese. This is a story about
some very unhappy geese that seem to love to scare everyone away from the creek.
First they scare Scat, a cat, who gets mad. Then, they scare Lad, a dog.
Eventually, Ben, Lad’s owner, gets tangled up in the geese mess and they might
be after him too! Pair up to read and find out what happens with those mean
geese. [Children pair up while the teacher walks around to monitor reading
strategies then the class reads together and discusses the plot].
7. Say: To end the lesson today, I want to see how well you find the /E/ sound.
On this worksheet, you need to circle the words that have the same long /E/
sound we’ve been learning about then circle the pictures that go with that word.
Read all the words and choose carefully. Once you are finished double check to
make sure your circled words match your circled pictures. [Collect to evaluate
each child’s individual success]
Resources:
Murray, G. (2011).
Constructing BR_Lesson Design. Blackboard:
https://blackboard.auburn.edu/webct/urw/lc22554136011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Murray, G. (2004)
The Mean Geese. Reading Genie:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/bookindex.html
Assessment worksheet: Long Vowel E (ee) - Free Phonics Worksheet